Step washing plant for ash, coal, and the like



- I E. BONGARDT I STEP mama PLANT FORISH, co'AL, AND THE LIKE Filed May5. 1923 In wen-tar Patented Aug. 5, 1924.

ERNST BONGABDT, OF HERSFELD, GERMANY.

STEP WASHING PLANT FOR ASH, COAL, AND THE LIKE.

Application filed May 5,

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, EnN'sr BONGARDT a citizen of the German Empire,residing at Hersfeld, Germany, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Step Washing Plants for Ash, Coal, and the like, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

It has already been proposed to separate light and heavy substancesowing to their difierent specific weights by the production of a watercurrent in water at rest. None of the devices of known constructionattains this object perfectly and with none of the known devices has itbeen possible to carry out more than two separations. In the separationof boiler ash it has been possible up to the present only to separatethe heavy clinker from the coke, and this only in an imperfect manner,the light clinker, the socalled porous clinker, remaining always admixedwith the coke. This is due to the fact that the material to be separatedis submitted to the action of the water current only once and for a veryshort time only so that the current, if it has to have any effect atall,

must be very strong, whereby the material to be separated isthrownpell-mell but is separated into its constituents only in an imperfectmanner. 4 i i This invention starts from quite different points of viewas the fluid is set in motion in such a manner as to create a fluidplane inclined to the horizontal plane with a somewhat wave-likemovement, upon which plane the material to be separated is discharged.The part of the material which is of medium density is just carried bythe surface of the water, the heavy or denser parts sinking howeverthrough the current and the parts of least density are carried away bythe current. A further object of the invention is to give to the severalparts of the material repeatedly the opportunity to separate from oneanother so that a thorough separating is ensured. In'this case thewave-like movement may be produced by an air current instead of by awater current, or by the rotation of a shaft with small blades or thelike. It is further possible to produce in an air space an air current,instead of in water at rest, an inclined wave-plane so that theseparation of the heavy and light substances is carried out by a drymethod.

It happens however frequently that it is desira e to ep at material intomor th n 1923. Serial No. 636,948.

three constituents. This is the case for instance with ash from theproducers of gasworks. This ash does not only comprise coke which isspecifically heavier than the porous clinkers, and lighter than theother clinkers, but also coke which is specifically heavier than mostother parts of the clinker. If in the ash, so-called melting slag isalso comprised which is specifically heavier than the heaviest particlesof coke, it will be necessary to separate the ash into five parts, viz:

Specific weight I: light clinker, so-called porous clinker;

Specific weight II: light coke particles,

Specific weight III: medium heavy clinker,

Specific weight IV: heavy coke particles,

Specific weight V: heavy clinkers (melting slag).

By different arrangements of several inclined water planes or air planes(groups of nozzles) it is possible to construct separating apparatuswhich permits the separation of the material into any desired number ofconstituents of different spacific weights or densities.

Another embodiment of the invention serves to absolutely avoid theformation of eddies in the fluid and to ensure a perfect separation.'This form of construction presents further the advantage that thefloating parts, comprised in the material to be separated, may beremoved from the washing after the separation in the simplest manner.

With this object in view the fluid current coming from the nozzles ismade to circulate. Diflierent apparatus for carrying out the separationwith the aid of a water current are shown in the accompanying drawing byway of example.

Figure 1 is a vertical s form of the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through a second form thereof.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 consists of the settling tank 31, the fourparallel in clined planes 32, 33, 34 and 35 arranged the one below theother, the water supply pipe 36 and the over-flow pipe 37. Fivecollectors are formed by the partitions 38, 39, 40, 41 and 42 which arecurved and perforated at the curved parts. The partition 43 forms anascending shaftfor the overflowing water. The sheet iron bottom plate 44is perforated in order to prevent solid particles of the material to besep r ted f rst! se g ection through one into the overflow pipe 37designates a delivering chute. The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 is ofsimiconstruction as the apparatus shown in Fig. l, with the difierencehowever, that the tour inclined planes are not arranged parallel to oneanother but inclined in opposite directions. In this manner it hasbecome possible to arrange the collectorsnot all on one side of theseparating vesselbut on two sides of the same, whereby the devices forconveying the separate constituents of the material'to be separated canbe arranged in a much simpler and more convenient manner. The apparatuscomprises, same as the apparatus shown in Fig. l, a clearing tank 46,four inclined planes .47, 48, 49 and 50 inclined inopposite directionsand arranged the one below the other, the water supply pipe 51, theoverflow pipe 52, the partitions 53, M, 55, 56, 57, the partition 58 forthe ascending shaft, the perforated sheet iron bottom plate 59 and-thedelivering chute60.

The carrying capacity of the inclined planes areregulated by suitablevalves and the material is entered from the chute above the upperinclined plane, the latter particles being held in suspense betweensheets of that plane while-the other particles pass down between saidsheets, each succeeding lower plane acts in the same manne.

The operation of the two apparatus shown in the figures is similar, itbeing understood that in each instance the uppermost of the fourinclined planes possesses the lowest carrying capability, so'thatitseparates only the particles possessing the specific weight I. Thenext following planes separate successively the particles of specificweight II, III and IV, the particles of specific weightV droppingthrough'all the planes. Theseparate constituents of different specificweights collect at the sides in the collectors, from Where they areremoved by means of convenient devices in a similar manner as describedabove.

I claim y In 'aseparatin'gapparatus,,a plurality of groups of jetproducing devices, the devices of each group being arranged inaninclined relation and spaced apart vertically to provide successivespaces through which the material to be "separated might pass, "saidgroups being'arr'anged in super-imposed relation, the devices formingeach group directing their jets in the same direction and approximatelynormal to the said plane, thus creating a substantially continuousinclined planeot moving fluid whereby when the material to be separatedis disposed above the plane of fluid and descends thereon, the

particles of greater density willpass through the plane of. fluid andthe'spaces between the devices and form one collection, and theparticles of lesser density will be carried down the inclined planeofthefluid and form another collection, said groups being arrangedrelatively to one another for passing the particles of lesser densitysuccessively to one another, the intensity of the fluid in-the jets ofthe successive groups being progressively less whereby the particleswill be separated into collections varying according to their density. r

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my signature.

ERNST BONGABDT Witnesses:

W. W. SCHOTT, O. C. L. B. WYLES.

